


Balance Oneshots

by Lizzy_Writes



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Sick Character, Sickfic, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23071222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizzy_Writes/pseuds/Lizzy_Writes
Summary: I decided instead of uploading the oneshots I'm going to be writing all separately, I'd just post them all in this!There will be a lot of hurt/comfort and fluff, some angst. ...Lots of Taaco twins because I love those two so much, but I'll be writing other characters too.Requests are open, so stop by my inbox here or at lizzysong on Tumblr!
Relationships: Angus McDonald & Taako, Barry Bluejeans & Kravitz & Lup, Barry Bluejeans & Taako, Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Barry Bluejeans/The Director | Lucretia/Lup, Julia Burnsides/Magnus Burnsides, Kravitz & Lup (The Adventure Zone), Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone), Magnus Burnsides & Lup, Magnus Burnsides & Merle Highchurch, Magnus Burnsides & Merle Highchurch & Taako, Magnus Burnsides & Taako, Merle Highchurch & Angus McDonald, Merle Highchurch & Taako, The Director | Lucretia & Merle Highchurch, The Director | Lucretia & Taako
Comments: 14
Kudos: 70





	1. Some Things Will Never Change - Lup & Taako

**Author's Note:**

> Word Count: 1,104
> 
> Summery: Lup hates when her brother takes it upon himself to decide what is and isn't worrisome. --Or, Lup finds Taako sick and is both worried and annoyed that he didn't tell her. (Takes place during Stolen Century).

After being together for half a century, with your team being the only true constant in life, you undoubtedly fall into a sort of routine. Things change from cycle to cycle, of course, but there were certain things that had become routine, and a change in those things usually meant something was wrong. 

They'd only been on this plane for a couple months, and hadn't yet found the Light of Creation, but their rhythm had been about the same as it usually was when they were all alive. 

The twins would usually be up and about first, making breakfast before anyone else was awake as, being Elves they didn't really need sleep (although sometimes Lup would stay in bed with Barry until he woke up).  
This was one of the mornings Lup planned on joining her brother in the kitchen before everyone else was awake, but much to her surprise, when she arrived in the kitchen, Taako wasn't there. 

She frowned and made her way to his bedroom -- technically both of their bedroom, but Lup usually spent her nights with Barry these days -- and found that he wasn't there, either. 

"...Taako?" she called out quietly, looking around the hallway for her twin. No answer. Then she heard the flush of a toilet from the bathroom down the hallway. 

"Taako?" She asked again when she reached the bathroom, "Are you in there?" She knocked on the closed door. 

There was silence for a moment and then a quiet, somewhat pained sounding, "...Yeah…"

"Can I come in?"

"...I'd rather you didn't."

"...Why? Are you okay?" 

"It's not pretty in here, Lup."

"Well, it's incredibly pretty out here, and you're missing it," Lup said with a small, if worried, smile, "...I'm coming in." 

Taako let out a little grumble but didn't protest anymore.  
He was sitting on the floor in front of the toilet, looking extremely pale, and shaking slightly. 

Lup's eyes widened with worry at the sight of him, and she immediately knelt at his side, placing a gentle hand on the back of his neck. "...Why didn't you get me?"

"You were with Barold," he said with a slight shrug.

"He's sleeping. And even if he wasn't, you should've gotten me!"

"Lup, it's not a big deal," Taako sighed, "Just somethin' on this planet doesn't like me so much. I'm fi--" he suddenly pitched forward over the toilet again. 

"Oh… okay," Lup said in as comforting a tone as she could manage through her worry. She pulled out the hairband that was holding her own long hair back and pulled her brother's back with it instead. "You're okay," she said gently, "Breathe."

"...Your hair…" Taako managed to get out in protest when his sister pulled his hair back. 

"I'm not the one leaned over a toilet," she said, giving him a soft, slightly teasing smile, "My hair 'll be fine down. It looks amazing no matter what I do to it."

They sat quietly together for a few minutes, Lup pulling Taako so that he was half lying on her for support when he was finally done, his head resting on her shoulder, her arm wrapped around him. "...How long?" she asked eventually, concern in her voice. 

"Not long before you came in here," he shrugged, "Seriously, I'll be fine."

"You sure?" She pressed, "Because if you were sick before you gotta tell me."

"Lup, you're doing the thing."

"What thing?"

"The overprotective thing."

"Well nobody and nothing is allowed to hurt you on my watch. That includes you. I'll beat you up if you let yourself get hurt."

"...I think that would kinda defeat the purpose," Taako said with a small chuckle followed by a groan of pain as he wrapped his arms around his stomach. 

"...Should I get Merle?" Worry was obvious in her voice and expression as she asked the question; it was so rare that either of them ever got sick, Lup wasn't really sure what to do to actually help him. 

"So he can make me eat whatever plants he's been seducing as a 'cure'? Absolutely not."

Lup couldn't help but laugh a little at that, "Okay, fair enough. What do you need, then?"

"Nothing, I'm good. Just gimme a day and I'll be better."

"...If you're not--"

"You'll beat me up," he said with a smirk, "I get it."

"...Why didn't you get me for help?"

"I told you, you were with your boyfriend. And a puking brother is kinda a mood killer."

"I don't care, I still want you to get me when you need help, stupid!"

"It's not a big deal, Lulu. I'm not dying or anything. If it was serious I would've gotten you."

"You should always get me when something's wrong, whether you think it's a big deal or not! And whether I'm with Barry or not. I don't want to have to go around looking for you just to find your stupid ass passed out or worse. Okay?"

"...Okay," he nodded slightly and smiled, grateful that he could always count on his sister if he needed help, even if she was a little annoying about it -- not that he ever doubted that, he just hated seeing her worried.

"Good," Lup nodded once and let out a little sigh, obviously relieved. 

"...Sorry."

"Yeah, well… you're just lucky I was gonna help you make breakfast." 

Taako knew that was her way of accepting his apology for scaring her and smiled, leaning into her side a little more heavily, clearly tired.

"...Think you can make it back to bed?" Lup asked when she felt her brother slumping against her. 

"...No," he admitted, "I don't think so…"

"...Okay, I'm getting Merle. He probably has something that can help with… all that," she gestured kind of vaguely at Taako.

"Fine. But if he starts talking to plants in front of me, I'm throwing up on him."

"I think that's only fair," Lup laughed a bit and moved to stand up, carefully moving her brother so he was resting against the base of the sink next to the toilet, "I'll be right back. ...Stay alive until then."

"I mean, I'll do my best," Taako said, dramatically lying on the floor and resting his arm over his eyes, and Lup rolled her eyes before leaving to find their resident Cleric, glad that Merle hadn't met with The Hunger yet this cycle. 

Things changed from cycle to cycle, but a lot also stayed the same, and one thing both twins were sure that would stay the same even after this mission ended, was that they would always be there for each other.


	2. I'm Sorry - Lucretia & Taako

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucretia has been thinking about Taako's night terrors, and how she might be to blame for them.
> 
> Word Count: 1,003

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one wasn't requested, but I've been thinking about my headcanon about this a lot -- that Taako's night terrors come from having his memory altered, but still has some pieces of them in his subconscious. (Sorry, Justin, everything I touch turns to angst). 
> 
> Takes place between Rockport and Petals.
> 
> \--

"This is my 'sleepy sack'. I get night terrors." 

The elven man's words had been haunting her since the night she sent Taako, Magnus and Merle to Rockport. 

Lucretia knew Taako well, even if he no longer knew her, and over the century she'd spent with him on the Starblaster, she could remember very few instances where he'd had any sort of nightmare. She knew this because he would confide such things in her. He and Lup used to treat her like their little sister. 

She couldn't help but think that what she had done had something to do with his night terrors. She knew what happened in Glamour Springs, and she blamed herself for it. The Taako she'd known for all of those years would never have made a mistake with his magic like that, and she thought that maybe she'd taken more from him than the mission and… Lup. Had she taken some of his knowledge of magic, too? And if so, how much?

Some time after the three Reclaimers returned with the relic from Rockport, Lucretia approached Magnus to ask him about these night terrors of their friend's. 

\---

"Oh yeah," Magnus said and nodded sympathetically, "Poor guy gets those all the time. Doesn't always wake up, I don't think, but he talks in his sleep a lot."

"...What… what sort of things does he say?" Lucretia asked, hesitantly.

"I don't know." Magnus shrugged a little, "Last night he was talking about finding someone… didn't say a name, just that he needed to find her. He seemed confused, though. He probably doesn't remember any of it when he wakes up, you know, pretty typical nightmare stuff."

"Of course," Lucretia nodded and let Magnus go. What she had wanted to say, however, was 'These are not typical nightmares. He wants his sister. He's looking for Lup.' 

She might have erased the memory of Lup, but in his heart, and his subconscious, Taako knew someone was missing. Someone important. 

She had the urge to find Taako and give him the second Voidfish inoculation right then and there. To put a stop to the torture he didn't even know he was experiencing. Of course, she couldn't do that. But she could talk to him; and hope that he would open up to her even a fraction of the way he used to. 

\---

She approached him one day after the boys were done training, and noticed him looking a bit more tired and winded then he usually did after training, not to mention the dark circles under his eyes. 

"...Taako, are you well?" She asked immediately, worry for her friend taking over her original plan to do this delicately. 

"I'm fine," he said, his tone defensive as he gave her an odd, somewhat annoyed look, "You're not my mom."

"I know I'm not," Lucretia said, hiding her hurt at Taako speaking to her so harshly, "You just look… tired. I only wanted to make sure you were feeling alright."

"I'm fine," he said again, and Lucretia thought he would leave it at that, but then he continued after a moment, "...Just… don't get a lot of sleep."

That was an understatement. Taako never got a lot of sleep, but since he'd arrived at the Bureau of Balance, it had only gotten worse. His dreams were disjointed, confused, not all there. But they were upsetting, even though he wasn't entirely sure why, and sometimes he woke up crying. 

There were people in them that he knew he should know, but he could never see their faces, or even hear their voices. He just knew they were important. But every time he woke up, the dreams faded even more. He never remembered what they were about, but he knew he was having them nightly because of the way they always left him feeling. 

"...I'm sorry, Taako," Lucretia said, seeming much more sad about this than someone who was just his boss would.

"Why?" Taako asked, giving her a confused, possibly suspicious look, "It's not your fault."

Lucretia stared at the elf for a long moment, wanting to say that yes, it was her fault, and to beg him to forgive her for taking so much from him. ...But she held herself together, she couldn't afford not to. "Still. I don't like for any of my people to not be at their best."

"I can do my job fine, doesn't matter if I'm tired," Taako said, crossing his arms, becoming defensive again, "Don't worry about it."

"That's not what I meant," Lucretia said, "I care about you, Taako. I care for everyone here. I don't… I don't want for any of you to be unwell."

"Well… thanks," Taako said, slightly taken aback by the way this woman seemed to truly care, "But I'm fine. You don't gotta worry about ol' Taako."

"...Alright," Lucretia nodded a bit, resisting the urge to sigh. She knew her friend's mannerisms, she knew he wasn't handling this as well as he is would like her to believe, but to press any further would risk making him suspicious.

"...So… uh… We good here?" 

"...Oh," the human woman was brought out of her train of thought and nodded a bit, "Yes. Go ahead. I'm sorry for keeping you."

Taako just nodded and walked off, leaving Lucretia to her own devices. She stood there for a few moments longer, watching her friend leave, before taking off in the opposite direction towards her office. 

She stood in front of the painting she had made of her team… her friends… her family, during the Beach Cycle and just stared at it for a long time, feeling tears rolling down her cheeks as she did. They all looked so happy, and Lucretia would give anything to get that back, to have her family whole and together again. Happy. 

"...I'm so sorry," she whispered, running her fingers gently along the portrait, looking at the faces she knew so we'll, "I promise… I will find a way to make this right."


	3. Always -- Taako, Lup, and Kravitz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako is starting to realize that he can trust others besides his sister. ...Slowly, and starting with his boyfriend. -- Or Lup tells her brother to suck it up and open up to his boyfriend because that's what boyfriend's are for. ...While simultaneously taking care of him. 
> 
> Word Count: 3,837
> 
> (Yeah, it's another twin sickfic. There's gonna be a lot of those mixed in here. They bring me comfort in these trying times. ...Oops.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a little while, but I hope this almost 4,000 word oneshot makes up for it! I've got more requests that I'm working on which I am very excited about, and am always accepting more! (Especially right now while we're all in quarantine and all I seem to be able to do is write...) Hit up my inbox here or over on Tumblr at lizzysong!

"Babe, you're sick," Kravitz said, lying next to his boyfriend in bed. 

He'd known something was off when he woke up and Taako was still asleep, and his suspicions were confirmed when the elven man woke up and spoke. 

"I'm fine," Taako insisted, rolling his eyes. But his voice was significantly lower than normal, a telltale sign that he wasn't feeling well. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, and got off the bed to get dressed for the day. 

"You're not 'fine'," Kravitz said, getting up and going over to the elven man, wrapping his arms around his waist, "You've been overworking yourself, and--"

"And the Wonderland thing, I know, I know," Taako groaned, this wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation, "But I promise, I'm fine." He leaned his back into his boyfriend a bit, his head resting in the crook of Kravitz's neck. The reaper could tell that the elf was warmer than normal, and he pressed a kiss to his temple. 

"You have a fever. Just… come back to bed, Taako. Please."

"Depends on what you have in mind," Taako smirked. 

"Resting."

"Boring," Taako said, and turned around to kiss the slightly taller man, "Don't you have some souls to go eat or something?"

"That's… still not how my job works. I don't… Taako, I don't eat souls."

"That's not what Lup says."

"We're getting off topic. You're overworking yourself, babe. You need to at least let me take care of you if you won't take care of yourself."

"I don't need to be taken care of, I'm fine. Besides, I don't have time to be sick. I have too much to do."

Kravitz was about to continue to try and get his boyfriend to see reason, but before he could open his mouth to speak, his stone of far speech crackled and Lup's voice came through, "Hey, Ghost Rider! You coming or what? We got souls to eat!"

Kravitz sighed and pulled his stone of far speech out of his pocket while Taako just smirked at him pointedly. "I'll be there in a minute," Kravitz assured the elven woman, "Just hang on."

"Go," Taako said, giving his boyfriend a kiss, "I'll be fine. You're overreacting."

"Just promise me that you won't overexert yourself. Please."

"When have you ever known me to do more than the bare minimum of work?"

Kravitz wanted to say 'constantly', because he knew that the elf put quite a bit of work into the things he did, even if he didn't want anyone to know that, but he let it go. "Good," he said instead with a small smile, before moving away and making the familiar rip in the air with his scythe and going into his skeletal form. 

Once he was gone, Taako let out a tired sigh and sat on the edge of the bed. Of course he wasn't going to admit that he barely felt up to standing at the moment, much less running a school. Just because he didn't feel up to it didn't mean he wasn't capable of it, he'd nearly always been able to push through any ailment. Of course, that was before everything that happened in Wonderland; his vitality being partially drained, his body being continuously broken with little to no healing… But he maintained his belief that he could still manage to get through pretty much anything, just like he always had. 

So he stood back up and finished getting dressed for the day, popping some Mockingbird gum in his mouth in an attempt to make himself sound like his normal self, before leaving for his school. He found Ren in his office when he arrived, though she was normally the one running everything so at this point it was practically her office, and she smiled up at him from her seat at the desk, "Hey, boss."

"I told you not to call me that," Taako said with a small smile, making his way around the desk so that he could sit on the edge of it and still look at his friend, "You basically run the place, we're partners."

She couldn't help but grin up at him when he said that. "You nervous about your lecture?"

"Eh, just another day in the office, talkin' about how great I am," he said with a slight smirk, "So, nervous?" He shrugged, making Ren laugh a little. 

"I wish I could have that confidence."

"Well, you should. You're pretty great, too, y'know."

She blushed a little, but then frowned in concern after a few moments of actually looking at the man, registering how off and tired he seemed, "...You feelin' okay, Taako?"

"Yeah, fine," he said, "Why?"

"No reason." She shrugged, knowing there would be no use in arguing with him. 

He eyed her suspiciously for a second but then dropped it, seeing that she wasn't going to try and get him to admit that he really wasn't feeling well. 

"...So, what kinda troublemakers we got?" he asked, looking down at the papers that Ren was looking over, "They're the most fun to teach."

"Even when they won't let you teach?"

"Especially when they won't let you teach," he grinned, "Lots more fun than a class full of well-behaved kids. I love Ango, but I like a challenge sometimes, too."  
_______________

"Well, how did he seem?" Barry was asking Kravitz, who had mentioned that he was worried about Taako.

"Was he insisting he was fine?" Lup asked, trying to hide her anxiety at the thought of her brother not being alright, "Because if he was, then it's probably not too bad. We only have to worry if he admits he isn't feeling well. If he's pushing himself that means he feels okay enough to get through the day."

"He was insisting that he was alright," Kravitz nodded, "But are you sure that means he's really alright?"

"He's been my brother for over two hundred years," Lup said a little defensively, crossing her arms, "I know all his tells. You just gotta take care of him without telling him that's what you're doing. Trust me."

Barry gave his girlfriend a slightly reprimanding look; he knew she was worried about Taako, she was always protective of him, but Kravitz cared for Taako, too. There was no reason for her to be cold to him about this. 

Lup shot him a somewhat dangerous look in response, maintaining that she had every reason to be worried and protective of her brother. Any time anyone tried to talk her down when she was, perhaps a bit overly, protective of Taako, she always responded with the same, dangerous look and two words, "Ten. Years." Eventually everyone stopped trying to talk her down. It was hard to argue with that. 

The reapers didn't discuss the matter any further, though Barry could tell that both Kravitz and Lup were somewhat distracted as they went about their day collecting bounties. It wasn't that he wasn't concerned about Taako as well, it was just that he knew that he, Lup and Kravitz were not the only people Taako had to look after him. He was working at his school today, which meant he was with Ren, and Ren would make sure that he was safe.  
He knew it would be pointless to point this out to the others at this point, however, so he stayed quiet while they went about their day. 

"If they're going to be stupid and raise the dead, you'd think they'd at least bother to get the runes right," Lup was saying as she flipped through the book of bounties. Barry smiled a little, watching her, knowing that she was trying to distract herself from her worry by complaining about their bounties for the day.

She sent both men ahead of her a little ways so that she could come in a little later as backup. Well, that's what she said, really she just needed a few minutes to worry in peace and then collect herself. This plan was interrupted almost the moment the two other reapers had left, however, by Lup's stone crackling, someone's voice coming through rather muffled, "...Lup?"

She hesitated a moment then answered, pulling the stone out of her robe pocket, "Hello?"

"Lup?" the voice asked again, "Lup, it's Ren. I um… I need your help. Or, well, actually Taako does."

Lup sighed, "Is he still there?"

"Yeah, he's holed up in his office. Won't let me help him, but he said I should call you."

"I'm on my way."

She opened up a rift with her scythe and was in front of Ren within a minute's time. The other eleven woman jumped a little when Lup appeared in front of her; she still wasn't used to the reapers' way of arrival.

"Lup!" 

"Hey," Lup smiled, though it was obvious that she was worried. There was always something to worry about if he actually asked for help. "...So, he asked you to call me?"

"Yeah." Ren nodded, "He wouldn't let me help him, but he said he would let you."

"And only me, I'm guessing," Lup said, sighing.

"Well… yeah."

"Of course he did." She rolled her eyes, "Alright, where is he?"

"In his office."

Lup nodded and went off to find her brother, arriving at his office door in a matter of minutes, and opening it up without knocking.

"Hey, teach," she said, giving him a small smile, pretending she didn't notice how unlike himself he was looking. He had his cloak pulled tightly around his shoulders, his eyelids were heavy, he was much paler than normal, and to top it off, he was shivering slightly. 

"Took you long enough to get here," Taako said, looking up from the papers he was working on and returning his sister's smile, "Maybe I should send you to detention."

"You called me five minutes ago." Lup huffed and went to sit in the chair in front of the desk, "Well, actually you didn't call me, did you? You made Ren do it because you're incapable of asking for help."

"Ah, but you came, didn't you." He smirked back at her. 

"You look like shit."

"...I feel like shit."

"Why didn't you just stay home and let your boyfriend take care of you like a normal person?"  
Taako just gave his sister a look, and she sighed, "Ko, it's been a year. You can trust him."

"...It's not exactly him I don't trust. ...At least… Not exactly…"

"...Alright," Lup said finally, giving her brother a sympathetic look, deciding to drop it for now. He had at least asked her for help, and she was grateful for that. She stood up and put a hand on the desk, leaning on it, "Let's go home."

He nodded and also stood, circling the desk so he was next to her. She wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close to her so that he was leaning against her. "...Thanks for coming."

"I'll always be around when you need me, you know that," she said, giving him a small smile, "Let's go." She opened up a portal with her scythe and led her brother into it.

Another portal opened up in Taako's home and the two walked out of it, Taako shivering much more violently than he previously had a been, his cloak wrapped even more tightly around his shoulders as he hugged his arms close. "G-gods… no wonder Krav's skin is always so damn c-cold."

"T.M.I. Taako," Lup said with a slight smirk, though it quickly fell from her face when she registered how bad off her brother was. She placed both hands on either of his shoulders and led him to the sofa, pushing him in front of her and sitting him down on the cushions. "You want me to make you something?" 

"Don't think I could eat anything if you did," he admitted as he curled up in a corner of the couch, bringing his legs up and partially lying down between the arm and the back cushions. 

Lup hesitated for a moment, but then decided to let it go for now, sitting down on the couch next to him. "Okay," she said gently, placing a gentle, reassuring hand on his leg. She frowned when she felt the heat radiating from him, "Do you… wanna go to bed?"

"Mm… Mm-mm," he mumbled, shaking his head a little, "Too tired… just gonna… stay here…"

"C'mere," Lup said, pulling him over so that he was half-lying on her. She took a blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over him, trying to warm him up a bit.

"...Lulu… can you… fix my hair?"

"'Course," Lup smiled softly and started to comb her fingers through his long, somewhat tangled hair, before gently braiding it as Taako let out a content sigh and closed his eyes, allowing himself to drift off. 

He'd been asleep nearly an hour, Lup not moving an inch in that time for fear of waking him, before the nightmares started. Well, they weren't so much nightmares as they were flashbacks, but either way they were upsetting. Lup noticed the moment he started to become restless and tried her best to comfort him without waking him. He just became more upset, however, and when he started muttering her name she decided it would be better for him to be awake. 

"It's okay, Ko," she said as she gently shook his shoulder, "I'm right here. I'm safe. We're safe."

"No… we need to find her… I can't do this without her…!"

"Taako, I'm right here. You figured it out. You found me. It's okay, I promise. Just wake up." She tried to keep her tears from escaping her eyes as she tried to wake and reassure him.

"I should've… should've known she was gonna… I should've gone with her… kept her safe…" His thoughts were incoherent, but Lup understood; and she felt guilty for leaving him, even if it was what she needed to do. 

"...Taako, you need to wake up…!" She said a little more abruptly than before and pulled him up into a sort of sitting position. She needed to bring him back to reality.

He did begin to wake, then, finally. His eyes slowly blinked open to see his sister's face looking at him, her eyes filled with worry. "...Lup…?" He asked after a few moments, not entirely sure he believed what he was seeing. 

"Yeah." She nodded and gave him a small, sad smile.

He hesitated for a second and then wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, burying his face in her shoulder. She was real, here, corporeal -- he could hold her.

"...Lup," he said again, his voice breaking.

"It's okay, Koko," she said gently, holding him just as tightly as he was holding on to her, "I'm right here. I'm okay."

He nodded and hugged her a little tighter, not saying another word as he evened out his breathing; he could remember her, and everything that had happened, so he could breathe. 

"Everything's okay," Lup whispered, "Everything's okay, Taako."

"...Don't leave," Taako said, sounding almost like a scared kid, and it broke Lup's heart. 

They didn't talk about it much -- especially after Lup got her body back -- both of them having decided that it felt better to live in the present, but her brother was hurting. More than she had realized; which made her feel even more guilty for having left him all those years ago.

"Never again," she promised, a couple tears rolling down her cheeks, "I've got you, Koko. We stick together; I'm not letting anything like that happen to us again."

Taako nodded again and let out a relieved sigh. The two sat quietly for a while after that, embracing each other. After a few minutes, Lup spoke again, "...Are you okay enough for me to get up for a minute? 'Cause I… I really gotta pee."

"Oh, god," Taako said with a small chuckle, pushing his sister away from him as he properly sat up, "Yes, go."

As soon as he heard her close the door to the bathroom, the amused smile dropped from his face and he let out a shaky sigh, wiping the tears from his cheeks. It wasn't often that he got those nightmares since his memories came back, but when he did… they hurt as much as ever. He didn't like to talk about it; or anything that made him feel weak; which was the main reason he'd only let Lup take care of him. He could be vulnerable with her and not feel shame for it. ...Not that Kravitz did anything to make him feel ashamed of being vulnerable, but he did. He always had with anyone but Lup. 

As soon as his sister returned to her seat on the sofa, Taako slumped tiredly into her side and she smiled softly, wrapping her arms around him to hold him close. "...How you feelin'?"

"...Everything hurts."

"Yeah, the flu or whatever the hell you've got'll do that to you."

"Yeah. ...Well, that and having an air conditioner dropped on you. ...And having your vitality sucked away."

"I'd like to kill those bastards again," Lup said, a certain calm anger present in her voice.

Taako just shrugged a little; he didn't really want to think about Wonderland and all that the Liches there had taken from him.

"...You haven't been taking care of yourself, have you?" Lup spoke up again, worry crossing her face. 

"I've been busy." Taako said, neither confirming or denying what his sister had accused him of.

"So that you don't have to think," Lup said in understanding.  
Taako sighed, which was enough of an answer for Lup. "Okay, well it's starting to hurt you," she said, "so it's time to think about it. Get it out. Tell me everything that you're trying so hard not to think about. You'll feel better, I promise."

"...I have… two lives, Lup. In my head. At the same time. And I know… I know what's real, I do, but… it hurts. All the time. And it hurts more when I think about it."

Lup sighed, sadly, holding him closer, "...You need to talk to me, Ko. Let me help you."

"...I did shit, Lup. There's… stuff. That you don't know." 

"You can tell me anything. You know, that."

He hesitated for a long moment, but then he told her. Everything that happened up until he found the Umbrastaff; all of it feeling a bit too real as he told the one person he trusted more than anyone in any world. 

When he'd finished, Lup didn't know what to say. She just held him close. "...What can I do?"

"Nothing," Taako sighed, curling up against his sister's side, "It already happened. We can't change it."

"...You want me to kill Sazed? Or at least show up in my reaper gear and scare the shit out of him?"

He'd be lying if he said he didn't consider that for a second, but he shook his head, "He turned himself in. I just… I just want to move on. Things are good now… and it wasn't… it wasn't my fault. Everyone knows it wasn't."

"But it still hurts," Lup said, wanting to take all of that pain away from her brother. 

"...He was the first person I trusted after Lucretia made me forget everything." Taako felt his eyes fill with tears, thankful that Lup couldn't see them with the way he was lying against her. "I should've known I couldn't trust him. ...I can't ever trust anybody but you."

"...Hey, you know that's not true anymore, right? You got other people you can trust besides me, now. ...You should talk to Kravitz about this stuff. You shouldn't be afraid to let your boyfriend take care of you, Taako. I'm always gonna be here, trust me, it's gonna annoy the shit out of you how much I'm gonna be around, but you gotta start letting other people in, too. At least Krav. ...He's good for you, Ko. Really. This is me telling you this. He loves you so much, and… I think you love him, too."

"...You trust him?" Taako asked. If Lup trusted Kravitz then that would make him feel better. Safer. Lup had asked if he'd trusted Barry when she knew how much she cared for him, and Taako had said yes. And he never regretted trusting Barry. So if Lup trusted Kravitz… that would quiet the little voice in the back of his mind that told him not to trust anyone.

"I trust him." Lup nodded and leaned her head against Taako's, "He's good for you, Ko. I promise. --And if he ever would try anything, I'd throw his ass in ghost jail so fucking fast."

Taako laughed a bit at the last part, but felt relieved nonetheless, "...Thanks, Lulu."

"I got you," Lup said with a smile, "Always. ...Now, let's get you to bed. You're gonna kill your back sleeping out here." She stood up, carefully helping her brother to his feet as well before he could protest being led to bed. 

It didn't take long for him to change into more comfortable clothes and get into bed, and as soon as he'd gotten comfortable, Lup laid down next to him. Taako gave her a slightly questioning look, and she just gave him a small smile, "I told you, I'm not going anywhere."

The male elf returned her smile and nodded slightly as his eyelids drooped and he started to fall asleep.

When he woke up again a couple hours later, Taako saw that Lup was no longer next to him, but that he was enveloped in Kravitz's arms instead. He smiled, sleepily, up at his boyfriend after a couple of moments and spoke, "...Hey, Bones."

Kravitz returned the elf's smile and kissed the top of his head, "How are you feeling?"

"Like an 'I told you so' is coming pretty soon," Taako said, a bit sheepishly.

"Never," Kravitz said with a soft laugh, "I just want you to be okay."

"...Well I feel better now that I'm in the sweet embrace of Death," Taako grinned, but then it faltered as he realized that he had no idea where his sister was. 

Kravitz noticed and immediately reassured him, "She didn't leave. She's in the kitchen."

Taako relaxed again almost immediately, and nodded a bit, resting his head against his boyfriend's chest.

"...I can get her if you want."

"No, it's alright. I just… like to know where she is," Taako said, and then hesitated for a moment before continuing, "...Can I talk to you?" Lup had been right when she said he should open up to his boyfriend, and he felt ready now. 

"Always," Kravitz said, holding his boyfriend a little closer as Taako began to tell him everything he had told Lup earlier, happy that the elven man finally felt safe enough to be open with him.


	4. Never Prouder -- Angus and Taako

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus gets in trouble at school and Taako is proud (and also hates Lucas Miller).
> 
> Word Count: 1,164

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a dialogue prompt on Tumblr for this one, and at the same time was rewatching Gilmore Girls, so... This happened. I love these boys. (Sorry it's taken so long to update, I promise I'm still writing, though!)

"...Mr. Taako?" Angus's small voice came through Taako's stone of far speech.

The elven man was sitting in his office at his school, desk covered in papers -- both for the school and ideas for new dishes and different things for the brand in general. ...It was all a lot of work to keep up with, and he was prone to distraction, which was why he kept everything on the desk at once. Made it easier to concentrate. 

"What's up, bubula?" Taako asked, pulling out his stone of farspeech.

"I… need you to come get me." The boy sounded upset and Taako frowned. 

"You still at school?"

"Yes, sir. ...Mr. Miller wants to talk to you…"

"What? Why?"

"I'll explain when you get here… it'll be easier."

Taako didn't really like the sound of that, but he figured it would be better to get to Angus quickly and go from there, so he said, "Okay, I'm on my way. Hang tight, I'll be there soon."

"Okay, sir."

The stone frequencies disconnected as Taako stood up, grabbed his cloak, and made his way to Lucas Miller's school.

______

The moment he made it to the school, Taako went straight to Lucas's office, only to find Angus sitting on a bench outside of it. 

"Hey, Pumpkin," he said, making a B-line for the boy and sitting next to him, "What the fuck is going on?" He was acting as nonchalant as he could, but there was a tinge of worry in his voice that he couldn't shake, despite his best efforts. 

"...Something happened."

"Okay… I'm gonna need some context here, Ango."

"...I was late to a test."

"...And?"

"And they wouldn't let me take it…"

"Because you were late?"

Angus nodded and Taako frowned, "How late?"

"Ten minutes."

"...They wouldn't… let you take a test because you were just ten minutes late…?" Taako asked, his voice that certain kind of even that meant he was angry -- though Angus knew it wasn't with him, and he nodded.  
"...Okay," Taako said and stood up. "Okay," he said again and went to the office door and abruptly threw it open, yelling, "Miller!"

Lucas practically jumped out of his skin when the elf bounded in, "T-Taako…! Uh, good, you're here. We… we need to talk."

"Yeah, we fuckin' do!" Taako said, going over to the human's desk where he was sitting and slamming a hand down on it, "You got something against my kid?"

"Of course not," Lucas said, "He's been struggling in class… and then today…"

"And then today you idiots wouldn't let him take a test."

"They were just following the rules, Taako."

"Rules that you make!"

"You don't have a time limit on tests in your school?"

"Not like that! They show up late they just have less time to take it, I don't make them fucking leave!"

"Taako it's not just that," Lucas sighed. 

"What else, then?" Taako asked, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at the human man.

"...Angus… had a little outburst in class…"

"...The point, Miller. Get to the point."

"That… is the point. He yelled at a teacher. And several students."

"Well then they probably deserved it," Taako said. 

"I know you don't like me," Lucas said, "But this is serious."

It was at this point that Angus entered the office, going to stand next to his adoptive father, a bit nervously. 

"What makes this serious? Did he injure anybody?"

"Well, no… but--"

"Did he start an uncontrollable fire?"

"What? No. Taako--"

"So he just yelled at some people?"

"...I did… yell at a teacher, sir…" Angus said, looking up at Taako anxiously, possibly even ashamed, and then looked to Lucas, "I'm sorry. I'll take my punishment--"

"Nope," Taako said, interrupting the boy. He placed a hand on his shoulder and took a step in front of him, "Stop talking. Let me do one thing right and get behind me. Now here's what's gonna happen," he added to Lucas, in an almost dangerous voice, "You are going to leave my kid alone, you're going to let him make up that test for full credit, and I'm not going to have to come back to this school until he graduates. Are we understood?"

"...I suppose… as long as it doesn't happen again," Lucas said, mostly because he was afraid of Taako. 

"Good," Taako said with a short nod before swiftly turning on his heel and leading Angus from the room. 

Neither said a word until they were out of the building and making their way down the street, when Taako spoke, "...So how long have you been havin' trouble?"

"...Not long, sir," Angus said, averting his eyes. 

"Angus," Taako said, giving the boy a look. The fact that his mentor was using his real name was enough to tell him that he was serious, though. He didn't need to see the look. 

"...Since the beginning of the semester…"

"Why didn't you come to me for help? Or Krav, or Lup?"

"...I didn't want to bother any of you. I thought I could handle it. I'm sorry, sir."

"Don't be sorry, I don't care if you yell at people. ...But you usually do care about shit like that, so if you lost it, obviously something's up."

"I just got frustrated," Angus sighed, "I was studying all night, which is why I was late, and I was sure I knew everything for the test and that I was ready, but then they wouldn't let me take it, and…"

"It caught up to you," Taako said, nodding in understanding. 

"...Yes… I really am sorry, sir."

"You really don't have to be." He gave the boy a small smile, "I've never been prouder."

"Sir!" The boy looked reprimandingly at Taako, who laughed. 

"You don't have to be perfect, Ango. Just do your best, and for Pan's sake, ask me for help when you need it! ...And remember, when in doubt, tell Lucas you're gonna call Killian. She really hates that guy. ...But then, don't we all."

"I don't hate him. I just feel I was treated a bit unfairly…"

"You were, and you should hate him. But you'll learn," Taako said, patting Angus on the back. "...Now. What do you say we go get some ice cream?"

"I don't know… I don't feel like I should be rewarded for how I acted today."

"Well, I do. But if you really insist on punishing yourself, then you can just watch me eat said ice cream." Taako gave the young boy a loving smirk, and Angus smiled back up at him. 

"...Thank you, sir."

"You got it. ...Just next time, call me before you yell at people so I can come take pictures."

"Mr. Taako!" Angus said incredulously.

"Let me have this, Agnes," Taako said, and it put Angus at ease to hear him use the incorrect name like that. 

"Yes, sir," Ango said with a small, slightly amused smile.

"Good boy." Taako smiled and ruffled the kid's hair.


End file.
